Helen Ennis on Max Dupain

From multi-award-winning writer Helen Ennis comes the first ever biography of the photographer Max Dupain, one of the most influential Australian photographers of the twentieth century.

Max Dupain (1911–1992) was a major cultural figure in Australia who was at the forefront of the visual arts. In a career spanning more than 50 years, he produced several images now regarded as iconic, championing modern photography with a distinctive Australian approach.

Examining the sources of his creativity — literature, art, music — alongside his approach to masculinity, love, the body, war and nature, Max Dupain: A Portrait reveals a driven artist whose relationship to his work has been described as ‘ferocious’ and ‘painful to watch’. Photographer David Moore, a long-term friend, said he ‘needed to photograph like he needed to breathe. It was part of him.’

Join Helen Ennis in conversation with Richard Neville, reflecting on the life of the creator of so many images that have passed into our national imagination. This event will feature a display of an array of Max Dupain’s work from the Library’s collection from 5.30 pm.

Helen Ennis writes on Australian photography and her latest book Max Dupain: A portrait (2024) is her third biography. Helen is Emeritus Professor, Australian National University, where she was Director of the Centre for Art History and Art Theory from 2014–18. She was formerly trained as a curator at the National Gallery of Australia where she headed the Department of Photography from 1985–92 and has worked extensively as a freelance curator, including for the National Library of Australia. Her numerous publications include Intersections: Photography, history and the National Library of Australia, Reveries: Photography and Mortality, Photography and Australia, and award-winning biographies of Margaret Michaelis and Olive Cotton. Helen is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities and in 2021 was awarded the J Dudley Johnson Medal by the British Royal Photographic Society for her contribution to the history of photography.

Richard Neville is the Mitchell Librarian and Director, Engagement at the State Library of NSW. With a research background in nineteenth century Australian art and culture, he has curated numerous exhibitions and published widely on colonial art and society. He has also been extensively involved in the acquisition, arrangement, description and promotion of the Library’s renowned Australian research collections.

Host or Publisher State Library of New South Wales